Two temple escorts receive Secundus and Valeria at the archive threshold. One is a broad-shouldered middle-aged woman in a white linen robe, her shaved temple marked with ash; the other is a young man in a plain red-bordered tunic, carrying a staff.
Publius remains at the Circus with the sealed ledgers, while Aurelia, Nestor, Castor, and Pollux wait beneath the festival awning. Marcus Flavius and Titus Celer, a lean young adult Roman man with short dark hair, a dusty brown travel tunic, and a worn leather satchel, accompany Valeria, keeping the evidence close.
The High Priestess
Enter under witness. The comparison, the ship-marked tablet, and Secundus’s statement will be sealed together before anyone names the protection insufficient.
Inside, the High Priestess has cleared a private archive chamber. A clerk arranges fresh wax, while the sealed comparison and related tablets pass from hand to hand without losing sight of their witnesses.
Secundus
I will identify Varro’s written order, but protection must include the road beyond these doors. Imperial retaliation does not end at the temple boundary.
Marcus Flavius
Then speak precisely, and let the record carry what a sword cannot. No one here will mistake fear for proof.
The High Priestess gestures toward the inner table, where a covered packet awaits beneath temple seals. The escorts close the doors, leaving Valeria beside Secundus at the threshold of testimony.
✓ Quest Accepted
Obtain Varro’s written order
“"Varro is a rich and powerful man, and I wonder why he takes such interest in a poverty-stricken gladiatrix. I think we should all keep silent until we have some better evidence safe in the archive. Do you have his original order?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +1)
“Valeria waits patiently for Secundus to answer her question.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +1)
Valeria waits without interrupting, standing beside the archive threshold while the escorts keep the doors guarded. The chamber settles into the quiet of witnesses and sealed wax.
Secundus
Varro’s written order is not in my possession, but I know where it was copied: the sponsor’s accounting room behind the Theater of Marcellus.
Secundus lowers his gaze to the covered packet. His answer comes steadily, without pleading, while the clerk’s stylus moves across the fresh tablet.
Secundus
The copy bears Varro’s seal and directs the stage official to test Myrina’s hand, patience, and obedience. It calls the exhibition a measure of control.
The High Priestess
Then the archive will record both the order’s location and its purpose. A concealed copy can still become lawful testimony when its chain is named.
The clerk records the theater accounting room, Varro’s seal, and Secundus’s identification. The escorts witness each mark as the packet’s temple seals remain unbroken.
Marcus Flavius
That is enough to seek the copy openly. We return with witnesses, not thieves, and make Varro answer for what he commissioned.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure Secundus’s protected testimony
“"Very well. I happen to know a friendly magistrate if the matter comes to law. But we must act swiftly before the palace gets wind of it."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled -2)
Valeria Asiaticus
I know a magistrate who may hear this lawfully. We must reach him now, before the palace learns where Varro's copy lies.
The High Priestess sends a temple escort with Valeria, Marcus, Titus, and Secundus through the service streets toward the magistrate's house. The sealed tablets remain under witness.
The High Priestess
I will certify the chain of custody. If your magistrate accepts the evidence, the temple will stand behind the record.
They reach the magistrate before the afternoon crowds thicken. He receives them privately, but the temple seals and the clerk's fresh record persuade him to hear the matter without palace summons.
The Magistrate
I recognize the Circus comparison and the theater's witness record. I authorize a lawful search for Varro's accounting copy, with temple witnesses present.
At the Theater of Marcellus, the magistrate's order opens Varro's accounting room. Beneath stacked tablets, they recover the copy bearing Varro's seal and the instruction to test Myrina's obedience.
The cost is immediate: the temple's reserve pays the search and escort fees, leaving its stores short for the next festival distribution. The copy is nevertheless sealed into the evidence bundle.
Quest Complete
Obtain Varro’s written order
New Gift: Masterful Contract Negotiation
Quest Complete
Secure Secundus’s protected testimony
+ New Item Acquired
Varro’s written order